Tags
active work, Book of Hours, calendar, collaborative effort, contemplative, cultural, Job, Peace, renewal, schedule, society, spiritual, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Thomas Merton, virtue, work week
8:27AM EDT: As we come round again to the beginning of the traditional work week (if such a concept even exists any more) I think of people who have already arrived at their offices or factories – or those who are just climbing into bed after finishing the night shift. I remember what it was like to wait outside every morning for my ride to school where teachers were expected by 8:00AM and how cold it was in January or how hurried I was on the rare mornings that I overslept. Now my schedule is so diverse that my most precious possession has become my calendar! Keeping track of what day it is and where I need to be at what time can become a tricky task some days! Mostly I just think of how lucky I am to have work that is usually of my own choosing which feeds my spiritual self and is also in service to others.
Here’s something from Thomas Merton’s Book of Hours that gave rise to the above considerations:
All Christian life is meant to be at the same time profoundly contemplative and rich in active work…Christian holiness can no longer be considered a matter purely of individual and isolated acts of virtue. It must be seen as part of a great collaborative effort for spiritual and cultural renewal in society, to produce conditions in which all can work and enjoy the just fruits of their labor in peace.
May all of our work be a blessing in our own lives and for the good of the world.
I was listening to a program last night on my computer about “re-writing our own life script.” During the call-in portion the speaker, John Newton, asked the caller how it would feel to live in a place of “not knowing.” What would that feel like? I found the question rather interesting because I didn’t react negatively to it! Usually my first thoughts upon waking in the morning find me running through my schedule for the day (after I am focused enough to even know what day it is!) in order to know how quickly I have to move, whether I have had enough sleep to meet the challenges of the day and how much of my incidental agenda I will be able to fit in between appointments and meetings or whatever has been previously scheduled.
In the “good old days” when I was young and eager – especially in the novitiate, but also in the convent at my first teaching assignment where I lived in a group of 21 Sisters – life was very structured and predictable. The “horarium” (schedule) of the days was built around times of prayer, teaching school, meals and community sharing time – known in the novitiate at least as “recreation,” a.k.a. the hour after supper when we relaxed and talked to one another while knitting or listening to music or some such simple activity before preparing schoolwork for the next day. Saturdays were set aside for cleaning and other charges (read: household tasks) or meetings and the occasional planning time for community celebration days.
Today is Monday, the traditional beginning of the work week for most people. For me it is always a time to “gear up” and make a list (or add to my already long one) of the things I hope to accomplish in the week ahead. Then there is the “long term list” of events that will be taking place in this season of spring into summer…As I began that litany in my mind, I realized again how cyclic life is for me and how much better I respond to it if I hold the schedule lightly so it flows like a dance rather than a race. Let me explain.
I had a schedule change for today. I was supposed to have two spiritual direction appointments but circumstances (not mine) changed and gave me a day at home. I spent my first hour (uncharacteristically) in the kitchen chatting since, wanting to tell the Sisters about the change in schedule, I sat down and ended up having coffee and leisurely conversation with Liz. As I came back to my room and looked out my window I noticed that it was snowing very gently. I had a thought that I’m sure many people would think ridiculous. It came quickly and with a smile. I heard myself say in my mind, “I’m so lucky to live in the Northeast where it snows!” While it is true that the snow today is not likely to cause accidents on the road or loss of electricity in homes so the concept does admit of exceptions, there is certainly an upside to snow events. Young people and teachers know the enthusiasm of snow days from school! My reflection includes that feeling, but is somewhat deeper. Watching the soft, slow falling to earth of it makes the snow a model of slowing down and the fact that it doesn’t make a sound as it falls is the major benefit. If I take the opportunity to go outside later today, I know I will be enveloped in silence and light. Who could ask for more than that?
It doesn’t pay to oversleep by two hours after normal rising time. This morning upon deciding that 5:15 was too early to abandon my bed, I went back to sleep for what seemed just a few minutes. My phone display, however, disagreed by showing 8:05! That spells disaster on a day when I planned to cook breakfast for an overnight guest who was due at a meeting at 9:00. I guess it was obvious when I arrived in the kitchen five minutes later that I had just awakened; the smiles that greeted me witnessed to my groggy state. But I managed scrambled eggs and some welcome conversation. When Cathy left, however, I quickly got into “zoom” mode and practically fell over myself trying to do four absolutely-necessary-this-morning tasks at the same time. Suddenly I realized that no one was observing me with a stopwatch – the pressure was all mine! – and I began to breathe a little more consciously. I have now accomplished at least three of those necessary tasks and it’s only 12:53PM! Not so bad…and I am calmly approaching the rest of the day.
The Sophia Center for Spirituality 